Boost your communication skills, your productivity, your professional
development and your satisfaction! In this era of dramatic change in the
business world, assistants have never been more challenged ... more stretched
... than they are today. You're expected to do whatever it takes to keep the
"train moving" amidst the confusion brought on by re-engineering, restructuring,
new technology—whatever changes you're up against. In this valuable conference,
you'll learn new, practical skills that will enable you to manage your job and
your career with new professionalism, new authority and new success. Design your
day to meet your unique needs. We've packed a lot of information into just one
day ... so feel free to move in and out of these two tracks and 10 dynamic
sessions. It's your conference—don't miss a thing!

WORKSHOP AGENDA

Opening Session: 9:00 – 9:35 a.m. — Where do you want to go tomorrow?

TRACK ONE: 5 Traits That Define Today's Top Assistants

Session 1: 9:50 – 10:40 a.m.

Stepping into leadership

Prepare for new roles ... and blurring boundaries
Despite your title (and your job description), your job may require you to lead
others—to delegate, give directions, coach, facilitate meetings, motivate and
even discipline. If these unfamiliar—and unofficial—leadership responsibilities
make you uncomfortable, this session will help. Find out how mastering a handful
of essential leadership behaviors and attitudes is your ticket to becoming a
leader others look to for direction and willingly follow.

How doing the work and managing the work are two very different things

The myth of "It´s not my job so I don´t have to do it"

Session 2: 10:55 – 11:45 a.m.

Controlling office technology before it controls you

A prescription for overcoming digital stress
Why does it seem that the more technology we incorporate into our jobs to become
more productive, the more stressful our lives become, the longer we work and the
less we get done? In this session, we´ll show you how to develop a new approach
to the flood of information you receive every day. You can´t handle it all!
Learn how to make choices about the trade-offs and negative consequences of cell
phones, instant messaging, e-mail and other technology—instead of blindly
accepting them.

What is so easy to forget—but so important to remember—about technology

Setting boundaries in a world of 24/7 connectivity

Session 3: 1:00 – 1:50 p.m.

Sharpening your written voice

Write like you talk if you want to command respect
Do you speak one way but write another? Is your writing stiff, academic,
wordy—nothing like the real you? After this session, you'll know how to convey
the written "voice" you want people to hear ... the voice of the assertive,
credible professional you really are. Master a natural, conversational style of
writing that's clear and simple, demands attention and makes business writing
easier and faster.

Your one and only goal in business writing

Matching your business writing to your personality

The 30-minute rule for avoiding unacceptable writing mistakes

3 simple exercises you can do at your desk to sound more natural on paper

Grammar does matter—established rules you must follow

Session 4: 2:05 – 2:55 p.m.

Guerilla problem-solving

Bring solutions—not problems—to your boss
Do problems—even petty ones—always end up in your boss's lap even though you
know you could solve many of them yourself? You can change this dynamic, make
your boss's life easier plus improve your personal clout. This session will show
you how, by altering your behaviors and attitudes, you can spark a change in the
way your boss views you and works with you. Take on the role of office
troubleshooter—with your boss's blessing.

Getting started—understanding your boss's needs

Information is power: How not to be perceived as withholding information

Using "framing" to present the problem—and solution—in a way your boss
will understand and accept

Know the fine line between being assertive and being downright pushy

How to approach your boss about taking on more problem-solving
responsibility

Session 5: 3:10 – 4:00 p.m.

Laying the groundwork for on-time projects

It all starts with a plan
Have you ever struggled to meet a project deadline because of changes, people
not doing what they're supposed to or unexpected roadblocks? It may appear
you're being held accountable for factors and circumstances beyond your control.
However, in this session, you'll learn you do have control when you rely on the
basic project management tools we'll introduce. Individually, none is a silver
bullet for your project management problems. But together they will keep you
focused, on track and in control.

The project plan: How simply having one doubles your chances of succeeding

TRACK TWO: Professional Development

Session 1: 9:50 – 10:40 a.m.

Organize everything in your life

Your office, your boss and yourself
Do you waste minutes—even hours—looking for things? Do you and your boss ever
have "words" when a file has been misplaced or a meeting overlooked? Do you have
the feeling things are slipping through the cracks at home and the office? This
session's for you. You'll gain great shortcuts and tips, designed and proven
effective by assistants, for putting everything in order ... and, yes, keeping
it that way!

How the 80/20 rule will help you identify your most important tasks

Back to the basics ... the unbeatable benefits of the tried-and-true
"to-do" list

Damming the paper flow to give your boss more uninterrupted time

Dealing with correspondence ... shortcuts you and your boss can work out
together

6 tips for developing a plan to get the most out of every day

Session 2: 10:55 – 11:45 a.m.

Staying in sync with your boss

The secrets to a boss/assistant relationship that "clicks"
No two people are busier than the assistant and the boss. A constant avalanche
of meetings, phone calls and deadlines leaves little time to talk—let alone
communicate. Out of necessity, the most successful assistants have had to carve
out their own ways of making the boss/assistant team work. You'll gain an hour's
worth of their valuable insight in this session that you can use to give your
boss/assistant relationship true lasting power.

How to play the valuable role of liaison between your boss and other
managers

9 important keys to maintaining an excellent working relationship with
your boss

Special strategies to use when the difficult person is the boss

When working with multiple bosses ... establishing channels among multiple
supervisors so they´ll know the demands on your time

Session 3: 1:00 – 1:50 p.m.

Juggling multiple projects with ease

Keep it all on track, on time and under control
Do you sometimes feel like you're being asked to wear more hats than you have
heads for? Join the club! Administrative professionals are handling more
projects than ever, yet few have had the time for training in project
management. Attend this session, and you'll build valuable and sought-after
business skills that will help you plan, organize, control and complete projects
with efficiency and professionalism ... allowing you to tackle your very next
project with greater confidence and see it through to positive results.

Putting into practice a proven 6-phase project management process that
works on any project ... large or small

How to benefit from a task checklist to identify specifically what needs
to be done and when

When things go wrong ... 5 tips for proceeding in a way that maintains
your credibility

Coping with the stress and strain of multiple responsibilities

How to use influence to get the job done, especially when you have
responsibility without authority

Session 4: 2:05 – 2:55 p.m.

Dealing with chronically impossible people

Neutralize the impact difficult personalities have on your life
You walk into work every morning, and there that difficult person is ... the
co-worker, the vendor or the VP who is making your life miserable. Your amateur
psychotherapist friend has given you plenty of advice on improving the
situation, but none of it has worked. It's time to stop beating around the bush.
Attend this session and get straightforward techniques, tested and proven
effective in the business world, for getting problem personalities under
control.

The 6 basic steps for dealing with all negative behavior

How to deal with feelings of helplessness and anger when faced with
difficult people and situations

"What´s this really about?" How to get to the root of the problem instead
of battling the symptoms

How to address a chronic disagreement and arrive at a mutually acceptable
action plan for resolution

How honesty and understanding will help you keep your cool when dealing
with an out-of-control person

Session 5: 3:10 – 4:00 p.m.

Everyday negotiation skills

Get others to see it your way ... at work and at home
If you're tired of getting the short end of the stick, you're ripe for this
crash course on negotiation. And do you ever need it. Between the kids, the
spouse, the vendors—even the boss—you can barely remember what it feels like to
"have it your way." Practice these great new skills every day and before you
know it, winning will become a habit.

The principles of everyday negotiation

How to turn the points of disagreement into a framework for resolution

How your personality affects the way you "give and take"

How to express yourself without accusation, sarcasm or hostility

How a few simple words can work like magic in getting others to do what
you want